Adirondacks - wilderness areas

[buckchaser]

Wanted to tap into the collective knowledge here about hunting pressure in the Adirondack wilderness.

Which of the Adirondack wilderness areas receive the highest and lowest pressure from your experience?

I've hunted the western fringe of the High Peaks and Jay Mountain Wilderness in the past two seasons.  In the western High Peaks I saw a few hunters in the parking lot access point and in the first kilometer or two of the trail - no one after that, although I did see some old boot tracks in the snow well off the trail.  I didn't see anyone hunting Jay Mountain, although it is a much smaller land area.

[NFA-ADK]

I have never really seen to much pressure except for the local town area's.  The locals tend to hit those area's pretty hard.  Besides that I would think the lower regions probably have the most presser and areas with a high population of hunters.  Simply put it is some of the least pressured woods in NY.  IMO

Some of the lowest pressed area's are typically anything past a mile in (On foot).  Most guys know the drag is a pain especially when solo and more than a mile in eliminates many of the hunters.  

If you look up some of the clubs in the area's you hunt you will see that often these guys put some decent presser on the area.  I don't want to bad mouth any clubs but the few clubs I know of put a good dent in the population from what I have seen. 

[stoneam2006]

Pigeon hill wilderness area and am lucky to see 1 guy a year normally waking in or out. Have only ever had one guy walk in on me while sitting. Even tho I have been unsuccessful hunting up there it is my favorite place to be.

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[Steve D]

The Adirondack Wilderness is a wonderful place and there are a number of areas you can hunt and not see or hear another person. I have hunted a good portion from Woodgate, the Moose River area, and the Big moose area towards Stillwater Reservoir area, and have cross country skied other areas as well.

One has to make a number of excursions to find the right place for them that would make them want to return but one thing to remember is to BE PREPARED. While it is a wonderful place it can turn into your worst nightmare in a matter of minutes.

I could be happy about anywhere up there.

 

[sethf11]

I have snowmobiled through some of those areas. It's really big country and god bless you for going in there. I stick to the farms in the Saratoga/warren/Washington county area.


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[Buckmaster7600]

Get a half mile off the road and there is minimal pressure most anywhere in the ADKS.


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[Robhuntandfish]

agree with Buckmaster.  Once off the road in most areas not a lot of people.  And a lot of people up there dont hunt til there is snow in gun season and seems even fewer bow hunters.  Also tough to find a lot of deer in the big woods.  Scouting in the summer and a lot of hiking can help. Get a topo print out of an area look for some acorns and start there.  

[Steve D]

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 9:03 PM, Steve D said:

One has to make a number of excursions to find the right place for them that would make them want to return but one thing to remember is to BE PREPARED. While it is a wonderful place it can turn into your worst nightmare in a matter of minutes.

 

Town of Webb
Herkimer County
Wildland Rescue: On July 25 at 4 p.m., Herkimer County 911 transferred a call to DEC's Ray Brook Dispatch regarding a 66-year-old Honeoye Falls man who sustained a knee injury near the top of Bald Mountain. Forest Rangers Gary Miller and Luke Evans worked with local volunteer firefighters and emergency medical technicians to carry the injured man down one mile to a waiting ambulance. He was evaluated by ambulance personnel but was transported by his son to a hospital close to their home. All first responders were clear of the scene by 7 p.m.

Town of Inlet
Hamilton County
Wildland Search: On July 25 at 8 p.m., Herkimer County 911 transferred a request to DEC Ray Brook Dispatch to find four lost campers from Limekiln Lake State Campground. Town of Inlet Police used sirens to attract the four Groton teenagers back to the road while two DEC Forest Rangers attempted to intercept the group. By 10:30 p.m., Rangers made contact with the group, determined they were well enough to hike out, and escorted the four back to the campground without further incident.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Steve D

[bkln]

Really depends where you go, my buddies and I go there every year to Schroon Lake area so Hoffman Notch and Pharaoh Lake is where is at for us... ADK is huge so if you hike a bit you won't see another soul but that comes with the territory just be smart and get the bases covered. No pressure at all if you go deep, just remember you will have to drag that "bad boy" all the way back or make arrangements before hand. This is not your daddy's hunting grounds, this thing can kill you so use your head and get organized. Make sure your camp knows where you at or where you supposed to be. Cell phone coverage is spotty, don't count on that. This is old school land: maps, compass, know where you are and plan ahead. A lot of work but really really worth it. We are lucky we live in this great state (minus the politicians :-)) 

[Padre86]

The trailheads along the main roads (Rte 28, Rte 30, ect.) see a lot of hunter traffic because they're on everyone's radar.  If you look for trailheads that are off the beaten path or if you go in further than a few miles, you generally don't see many other hunters, or people in general, especially when the weather is bad.

As for which specific areas see higher pressure, I don't know.  I suppose you could look at the DEC's website to see the harvest rates and #'s for the different WMU's and then figure out which Wilderness Areas, Wild Forests and Primitive Areas fall into each of those WMU's.  Though, such numbers may not necessarily tell you a lot about pressure, but rather they may just reflect greater deer #'s and other factors like easier hunting access, leases, private land, ect.

It sounds like you already have some experience hunting the ADK's.  My advice is keep doing what you're doing: look for the deer sign and avoid areas that see a lot of hunter traffic. 

Edited August 8, 2017 by Padre86

[REDNECK4LIFE32]

I live up in the Adirondacks and I could show you a lot of places that get no pressure because the average hunter is afraid to get off the beaten path. Deeper woods mean uncharted territory which means better hunting

[Five Seasons]

i have never deer hunted the mountains. I did see a show on pursuit one time where they had some guys driving the mountains. Seemed like a ton of work for little pay off. 

I have a place near Raquette and there's a bunch of camps, but there is even more land. I honestly don't believe humans are  your issue. I believe it's just low deer density based on less crops that we have in the south. No new growth due to lack of logging and just soooooo much land that they're not squeezed into tight little spots like the southern regions.

I have a spot to try black bear this fall and to get there i have to canoe across a pond. Pretty romantic i think.

[REDNECK4LIFE32]

Ive done a lot of drives and still hunting in the mountains. Most of the places that are getting logged are mostly woodland property with all the leased camps from what I hear the Adirondacks are being taking over by moose . Hunters are seeing more moose then deer lol. Your black bear spot does sound nice and peaceful. I heard theirs good black bear hunting around old forge area. 

[Cedar+Canvas]

I️ hunt pretty remote in the southern Central Adks and have bumped into two other guys in my area in the last 10 years. They were both other guys with cabins in our area that I️ had met before. I️ will occasionally walk a portion of a trail to close some ground, but almost all is off trail and usually around 1,500k to 3k feet. We spend a lot of days without seeing much, but also have a camp full of mature buck mounts that probably never saw another human. If you’re really solid bushwhacking (sounds like you are) and have good layers there’s nothing like disappearing for a weekend of still hunting the rut in the Adks...


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[sailinghudson25]

I moved to the catskill mountains about 7 years ago.

This is what helped me there....

Talk to the DEC forester.   Find a place where they have logged a few years ago.   Sometimes the local soil and water conservation has done transplant projects alongside rivers.   This is where I would look into.   a spot that was logged 5 years ago is ideal.  Not every spot is forever wild.  

Variety s the spice of life.  IF something looks different that most of it, check out that area.  An open spot on the edge of thick brush.   Swamp edges, a general flat area with a lumpy spot on it, and of course peaks with plenty of space on top.   Deer can almost go up or through just about anything.

IF you own a small boat or canoe, you can get to a remote spot with much less effort in some cases.

Also, alot of what is desried about the ADK's can be adapted to the catskill mountains.   You can take what you learned up there and do it down here, if thats closer to you.

I hunt on a logging lease near stillwater reservior.   But, just recently hunted near the northern/southern border.   Seen lots of good potential there.

What are you looking for an amazing deer rarely seen by man, or a bit more lucrative hunt.   

IT is nice to see new places, but focusing in one area and learning it over the years can be very fruitful.

[UTKR]

I just moved to NY from Utah.  In Utah we hunted exclusively on public land and predominantly hunted in the backcountry anywhere from 2-8 miles from the truck.  We spent the opening week of Utah Archery deer and elk season at 9k feet camped 6.5 miles from the truck. 

I'm interested in spending some time in the Adirondacks next summer and leading up to hunting season in the fall.  I'm fully comfortable quartering and packing an animal out solo a long ways away from the vehicle as well as being prepared and willing to deal with potentially adverse weather conditions.   2 years ago, we got a foot of snow at 10,500 feet at deer camp in August.

Sounds like the areas closer to the towns get hit hard, but with a little walking, the solitude I am used to can be found.

Trying to glean as much information as possible from those with experience.  I feel like I have to re-learn everything about hunting being out here now.  We spent countless hours behind the glass to find animals that were in a position to put a stalk on.  From my limited knowledge about the terrain out here, seems that glassing isn't a viable strategy due to the dense forest. 

For elk, we did spend a lot of time calling or still-hunting through the tall pines.  Is the terrain in the Adirondacks conducive to still-hunting, or is it mostly sitting on corridors?

Starting from scratch should be fun, but looking forward to exploring the mountains here.

[Five Seasons]

1 hour ago, UTKR said:

I just moved to NY from Utah.  In Utah we hunted exclusively on public land and predominantly hunted in the backcountry anywhere from 2-8 miles from the truck.  We spent the opening week of Utah Archery deer and elk season at 9k feet camped 6.5 miles from the truck. 

I'm interested in spending some time in the Adirondacks next summer and leading up to hunting season in the fall.  I'm fully comfortable quartering and packing an animal out solo a long ways away from the vehicle as well as being prepared and willing to deal with potentially adverse weather conditions.   2 years ago, we got a foot of snow at 10,500 feet at deer camp in August.

Sounds like the areas closer to the towns get hit hard, but with a little walking, the solitude I am used to can be found.

Trying to glean as much information as possible from those with experience.  I feel like I have to re-learn everything about hunting being out here now.  We spent countless hours behind the glass to find animals that were in a position to put a stalk on.  From my limited knowledge about the terrain out here, seems that glassing isn't a viable strategy due to the dense forest. 

For elk, we did spend a lot of time calling or still-hunting through the tall pines.  Is the terrain in the Adirondacks conducive to still-hunting, or is it mostly sitting on corridors?

Starting from scratch should be fun, but looking forward to exploring the mountains here.

it's an effort vs reward and experience thing. There's undoubtedly some giants in the mountains. I think what is tough for some NY hunters is that not even a 2 hour drive from the mountains are much more hunter friendly areas with nice big deer as well. 

As an avid fan of the show meateater I dream of being able to hunt and camp out west someday. It's hard to justify that for a NY buck. A little easier for an elusive elk, moose, grizzly etc.

but if it's the experience you're looking for, you can certainly replicate it (although not knowing utah very well, i'm assuming with a lot more vegetation in NY)

[UTKR]

Part of the joy in the experience comes from the effort for me, and when successful, a bit of suffering.  I'm not overly concerned(at all) with the size of the deer, it's more about the experience and the adventure of it with a possibility of success.  The meat is the most important thing to me overall, but it just seems that the mountains are hard to beat as far as the richness of the experience

And you are very much correct about more vegetation in NY.  Attached is a picture from our backcountry deer camp in Utah this year.  You can see and glass animals for miles.  There are some thick stands of Aspens and Pines, but nothing like the thick forest out here.  I'll most definitely have to figure out different tactics to be successful in the big woods and mountains out here.